Ten days to go until the return of the Great Big Politics Quiz – a night to find the champions of all-things-balloty, this year as part of the all-new Imagine! Belfast Festival of Ideas & Politics.
So, if you’re a politician, press officer, policy wonk, journalist, lobbyist, psephologist, academic, student, blogger, tweeter, House of Cards binge-viewer or just a West Wing wannabe… it’s almost time to prove yourself.
Just so there can be no lingering arguments over hanging chads, no petitions of concern and no Strasbourg Court challenges over the results, this year we’ve have asked some of our finest political nerds brains to set the questions.
All questions will be politics-inspired: local and global, fact and fiction, easy and head-melter… courtesy of Dr Nicholas Whyte (newly appointed Visiting Professor at Ulster University), Gerry Lynch, David McCann, Mark McGregor, Alan in Belfast (video round), and Moochin Photoman (picture round).
Artist to the stars, Brian John Spencer, will be on hand to do some live-drawing if you fancy being immortalised in pastels.
And some of our most charming, witty and attractive elected representatives (that narrows the field – Ed.) will be on hand to play Magnus Magnusson for the night. Feel free to lobby them relentlessly over a pint at the Black Box bar.
A cornucopia of politics-themed books, DVDs and the like await the winners, thanks to public affairs folk Stratagem.
Now you just need to get your team together and your tickets booked. To be honest, they are already flying out the virtual door, so please don’t leave it to the night itself (Thursday 12 March) to get yourselves organised. Teams should contain no more than six people (yes, Jim Wells, we’re talking about you…). Not sure if you can field a whole team? Don’t worry – bring yourself and we will sort one out for you on the evening.
Just to warm up your little grey cells, why not try out these anagrams of Stormont MLAs?
No cheating – smart phone use will be banned during the quiz, so get used to it – and no peaking in the comments zone for answers!
1. Bluffer MacDry.
2. Newest vegan.
3. Join a church Ted.
4. Cardinal’s doll. Amen!
5. Panty fresher.
6. Cabal crimes.
7. Incessant grin. Mum!
8. Adores van nerd.
9. Beret. No prison?
10. A vain plug.
11. Hot banana chums.
I am the Northern Ireland Programme Director and Head of Nations and Regions at Amnesty International UK.
I’m on Twitter at @PatrickCorrigan
Discover more from Slugger O'Toole
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
